Monday, November 19, 2012

Of internet scams

When the top cop gets duped by an internet scam you don't know if to laugh or cry. In the month of October pn three separate occasions the Royal St Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force transmitted via Western union the sum of EC$9,439.12 to crooks in Senegal. It turns out that the Police Force thought they were paying for accommodation, insurance and visas for three officers (including the top cop) to attend a conference in Human Trafficking in Senegal.

Maybe I have the benefit of hindsight but how on earth did the Commissioner fall prey to this? It's mind boggling that a document purporting to be official but riddled with errors did not send off alarm bells in the heads of senior government officials. Instead, beginning with the PS National Security the document was shuttled off to the Commissioner's office asking for nominations to attend the Conference in Human Trafficking. It is even more ironic that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU)-of which police officers are a part has put out numerous bulletins highlighting the warning signs of scams. The document received by the Police could have been a test piece put out by the FIU but incredibly the Top Cop missed all the signs.

As it is public confidence in the Police Force is tenuous at best. This was an embarrassment that they and the nation did not need. You may laugh at or even sympathise with an ordinary member of the public but when the Commissioner shows such an awful lack of judgement your little faith is further eroded. There is simply no way to sugar coat it, the Commissioner looks very incompetent. It makes you wonder what else have they been less than diligent about. Paying back the money is all well and good but by now he should have done the honourable thing and resigned. Oh wait, I forgot these things almost never happen in these parts. Meantime, some people in Senegal having a hearty laugh